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Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project

What's New:

Washington Street Streetscape - Project Meeting Thursday, March 21The City of Alexandria is planning to make improvements to the South Washington Street Right-Of-Way between Church Street to Gibbon Street. The proposed improvements are intended as infrastructure improvements that will aesthetically mitigate the impact of the WWB construction and Urban Deck. The scope of the project includes enhancements to the lighting, sidewalk and streetscape improvements, traffic safety improvements, and some drainage improvements. Construction for the project is scheduled to begin in March of 2013. The City is holding a public meeting on Thursday March 21, 2013 between 7-9 pm at Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy, 503 South Saint Asaph Street.

This page will help you learn about the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge and find out what is being done to protect the community. Working on your behalf, the City of Alexandria and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Neighborhood Task Force will:

Look after your interests

Monitor construction impacts on your neighborhood and the environment.

Keep you informed of measures to ease impacts.

The new Woodrow Wilson Bridge is one of the largest public construction projects ever in Alexandria, and involves many agencies and groups:

The Alexandria Woodrow Wilson Bridge Neighborhood Task Force, which includes two members of City Council and neighborhood representatives, was created by City Council in June 2000, to evaluate and ease construction impacts on residents and to advocate measures to mitigate noise, traffic, parking and other problems.

The Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project Team manages the entire project and is composed of representatives from the Federal Highway Administration, the state departments of transportation for Maryland and Virginia, and the private sector, Potomac Crossing Consultants.

The City of Alexandria's Transportation and Environmental Services Department is the lead agency for the City, provides staff support to the Task Force and is the City's Liaison with the Project Team.

Using the Smallest Possible Footprint Construction activities in Jones Point Park are confined to the apporximate location of the new and existing bridges with fencing around the perimeter of the construction areas to protect residents.

Limiting Hours of construction in Jones Point Park Active construction is restricted to 7 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, 9 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, Pile driving in the Potomac River is restricted to daylight hours and is regulated by the bridge Project Team.

Limiting Pile Driving Hours Pile driving in Jones Point Park is restricted to 9 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday. Pile driving in the Potomac River is restricted to daylight hours and is regulated by the Bridge Project Team.

Using Quieter, More Efficient Pile Driving Hammers

Protecting the City's Streets Limiting construction traffic on City streets is a top priority. Maximum use of the Potomac River for delivery of equipment and materials is encouraged. Only Royal, Gibbon, Franklin and U.S. Route 1 can be used for hauling material. City permits are required for more than five truckloads for any construction activity and for oversized and overweight vehicles. No contractor parking or storage of equipment and materials on City streets or street medians is allowed.

Avoiding St. Mary's School and Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy No construction deliveries can pass these schools between 7:45 am and 8:30 am and 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm when studaents are being dropped-off and picked-up.

Maintaning City and Park Services The community gardens, soccer fields and trails at Jones Point Park will remain open. No public street will be closed or obstructed.

Who Will Make Sure These Requirements Are Followed?

The Bridge Project Team will enforce the contract provisionis including no contractor parking on City streets. T&ES will issue and enforce all permits for construction vehicle and truck traffic on City streets and notify the Project Team of any damage to City streets.

A Few Tips On Protecting Your Home

It is unlikely that your home will be damaged by construction or heavy trucks although, it is wise to take a few precautions.

Document the current condition of your home by taking photos or videos of the interior and exterior and dating the photos.

Look for existing cracks or damage, particularly in foundation walls or openings around doors or windows. Use a ruler to measure the length and width of the crack and take a picture of the ruler next to the crack.

Contact your insurance agent for additional information on how to safeguard your property.

Get Involved In Your Neighborhood Task Force

Contact a member of the Neighborhood Task Force or come to a Task Force meeting to get information first hand and to express your views. The Task Force meets monthly and schedules special meetings on topics of interest. Also, the Task force can arrange meetings with the Bridge Project Team on matters affecting your neighborhood. For information about the Task Force, call Lisa Jaatinen 703.746.4053.

Getting Answers And Reporting Concerns-- Who to Contact

Contact the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Center at 703-519-9800. Visit the Bridge Center at 1800 Duke Street, Suite 200, to view drawings and a scale model. Visit their web site at www.wilsonbridge.com

The new Woodrow Wilson Bridge is designed to meet current and future traffic needs. The existing single span drawbridge, completed in 1961, is 99 feet wide. It was designed to carry 75,000 vehicles by 1980, but reached that level in only eight years. Today it carries nearly three times that volume every day.

The new twin-span drawbridge located 30 feet south of the existing bridge, is 249 feet wide. The navigational clearance under the new bridge will increase from 50 to 70 feet, decreasing by 70 percent the need to open the drawbridge.

The new bridge will have one outer loop span and one inner loop span, each consisting of the following:

Two express and two local traffic lanes with a barrier divider and full shoulders

One HOV /transit lane

One merge lane to make entering and exiting the beltway safer between U.S. Route 1 and I-295

The entire Woodrow Wilson Bridge project is seven and a half miles long, stretching from telegraph Road (VA 241) in Virginia to Indian Head Highway in Maryland (MD 210) and involves the reconstruction of four interchanges.

Distinctive Features Of The Bridge Project Include:

Improvements to South Washington Street, including landscaping the southern gateway into the City, enhanced streetscaping (wide brick sidewalks, light fixtures and stone benches) from Hunting Creek to St. Mary's Cemetery, and a 200 foot wide deck carrying South Washington Street over the Beltway that continues the landscape features of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and provides visual screening of the beltway.

A 12 foot wide pedestrian/bikeway connecting Virginia and Maryland on the north side of the bridge

Preservation of Freedmen's Cemetery

Interpretation of cultural and historic resources and enhancement of recreational resources in Jones Point Park.

Direct access to and from Eisenhower Valley

In The Final Analysis...

As with any major construction project, there will be unavoidable impacts. The goal of the City of Alexandria and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Neighborhood Task Force is to see that these impacts are addressed and managed in such a manner as to minimize adverse affects on the local quality of life.